MENU BOARD: Dance of flavours at Bedford's Blue Elephant Thai

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Kelly Neil

Published: Nov 08, 2018 at 12:37 p.m.

The pad gra prow at Blue Elephant Thai was a superb dance between salty, spicy, and sweet, with slices of raw cucumber on the side to cool the mouth. The dish was cooked by someone who absolutely understands how to balance flavours. - Kelly Neil

I ventured solo to Blue Elephant Thai (81 Peakview Way) one rainy evening around 7 p.m. and was surprised to see I was the only diner in the restaurant however, five or six people came and went, picking up takeout orders, during my visit.

The dining room at Blue Elephant Thai is modern, with royal blue vinyl chairs and banquettes, a reclaimed wood-style accent wall, and a large mural of an elephant with flowers, which, upon a closer look, appeared to be painted with spray paint, graffiti style. Elephant accents, in the form of wood carvings, a sequined tapestry, and statuettes on the bar, were placed around the room. The feel of the space is warmed by two large bamboo-style hanging chandeliers and twinkly lights in one corner.

A server greeted me and directed me to sit where I wanted. I chose a table near the front window. The two seats at my table were set with paper napkins, dinner forks, soup spoons, and blue acrylic water glasses. When my server brought menus she whisked away the second place setting and added it to the empty table of four next to me which looked as though diners had recently departed. Despite my being the only guest in the restaurant, the table next to me remained unset, save for the one place setting from my table, for the duration of my stay.

A large mural of an elephant with flowers, which, upon a closer look, appeared to be painted with spray paint, graffiti style is a commanding presence in the dining room at Blue Elephant Thai located at the top of Larry Uteck. - Kelly Neil

I ordered the Thai vegetable fritters (freshly shredded carrot and squash fritters lightly coated in red curry paste batter, deep fried and served with sweet and sour sauce dip with nuts, $8), and the pad gra prow (holy basil stir fried with minced chicken, served with jasmine rice, topped with a Thai-style fried egg, and fish sauce with garlic, chili, and lime on the side, $14) upon my server’s recommendation. An option to order prawn with the pad gra prow for $2 more was listed on the menu but in talking to my server about my order, I had forgotten about it, and she didn’t offer.

Upon their arrival, I was genuinely surprised at the sheer size of the vegetable fritters. I had pictured small fried patty-style fritter however, Blue Elephant’s version was a large tangle of lightly battered shredded vegetables on a wooden board. As I tried to serve myself a small portion with my fork and spoon, one half of the huge nest came along for the ride. Although some pieces of carrot (and possibly squash though it tasted like sweet potato) were apparent, the majority of the battered shreds were cabbage, which was not listed on the menu. The sauce, listed as sweet and sour, leaned toward cloyingly sweet and could have used more acid for balance. The fritters had a hint of spice from the red curry paste batter, plus green onions and fresh cilantro leaves which added freshness but overall I found the fritters awkward and messy to eat.

Blue Elephant’s version of vegetable fritters was a large tangle of lightly battered shredded vegetables on a wooden board. As I tried to serve myself a small portion with my fork and spoon one half of the huge nest came along for the ride. - Kelly NeilThe pad gra prow

The pad gra prow was excellent. The egg was fried Thai-style, frilly and crispy with a soft runny yolk. The jasmine rice, cooked perfectly, was flavoured from the bottom up with the incredibly flavourful sauce on the basil, chicken, red pepper, onion, and fresh red chili stir fry. The dish, a superb dance between salty, spicy, and sweet, with slices of raw cucumber on the side to cool the mouth, was cooked by someone who absolutely understands how to balance flavours. It was the nam prik nam pla, the side dish of fish sauce, garlic, chili, and lime, that stole the show for me. Upon bringing my food to the table my server had warned me to pay attention and be careful with the fish sauce condiment due to the intense nature of its heat, which, to be honest, scared me a little bit as I pictured my mouth in near flames. A gentle dip of my fork into the small dish, with chilis and seeds floating on the surface, revealed pungent fishiness and extreme saltiness, followed by the tang of fresh lime, and the slow heat of the chilies. It was one of the best condiments I have ever tasted and elevated an already fantastic dish to superb.

There was no shortage of flavour at Blue Elephant Thai during my visit. I loved my main course, especially the nam prik nam pla sauce served on the side, and would go back in a heartbeat just to eat it again. With a mix of appetizers, soups, salads, curries, stir fries, noodles, and more, there is something for every level of spice tolerance at this small modern restaurant at the top of Larry Uteck.

Alternating each week, Kelly Neil and Kathy Jollimore bring you the scoop on a different local restaurant. Before Kelly Neil was a full-time food photographer, food stylist, and food blogger, she spent 12 years managing some of Halifax’s best restaurants.